Enfermedades pulmonares intersticiales difusas

Diffuse interstitial lung diseases are a heterogeneous group of clinicopathological entities with similar clinical manifestations and diffusely affect the lung parenchyma. The present article reviews the repercussions of the biological features of these diseases in clinical practice. Study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in their pathogenesis has allowed molecules to be identified for the development of new therapeutic strategies. Animal models of lung fibrosis have been widely used to determine its pathogenesis and to evaluate the efficacy of anti-fibrotic molecules. Identification of the genetic alterations involved in the etiology of these diseases provides the possibility of establishing a more effective approach to their prevention and early diagnosis and to identifying molecular targets for future gene therapy. Several studies have investigated serum markers with the aim of optimizing diagnosis and evaluating prognosis and treatment response through noninvasive methods.